In South Africa during the Second Boer War, Australian Army Lieutenants Harry "Breaker" Morant (Edward Woodward), Peter Handcock (Bryan Brown) and George Witton (Lewis Fitz-Gerald) stand accused of the murders of six Boer prisoners and the assassination of a German missionary. British Commander-in-Chief Lord Kitchener is determined to see the men found guilty, which he can use as a bargaining chip in an impending peace conference with the Boers.